Getting the Most out of Your Home Decor Choices

When it comes to interior design, for most of us, it’s all about form. We want our home to feel beautiful, and for our colors to match and our patterns to pop and for everything to look like it’s in its proper place. In short – we want our homes to feel beautiful.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. After all, we’re the ones who have to look at the place, day in, and day out. If it looks hideous, or there’s just something off, it tends to nag at us until we can’t think of anything else. And so it happens that we always emphasize the form, how the home looks, first.

But if you’re only stopping at form, without considering function, you’re not likely doing any kind of harm to yourself or your family, but you’re missing out. When we approach interior design, especially when we’re considering our furniture, and decor pieces, I would argue that we need to start with function, and then worry about form. By doing this, I believe that we can craft wonderful designs that will not only look beautiful, but help protect other aspects of our home, enrich our family members’ lives, and even save some money.

Here’s how:

Find the Right Material for Your Room

When you think of material, you probably default to terms like, “soft,” “fluffy,” or “relaxing” to describe what you want to buy. That might get you pointed in the right direction, but what about allergies? What about durability? Imagine how it would feel to find a beautiful looking set of holiday drapes that you hang up, only to have your cat shred them, because they aren’t durable. Or worse, you find an amazing throw for your couch, only to have your children break out every time they wrap up in it.

You can’t afford to ignore the other pieces in your life that are in play when you choose furniture and decor. Allergies, the amount of traffic that goes through a room, how “rough” the activities are, and any pets are just some of the things you need to consider before you buy a certain material.

Buffer and Insulation

We often love watching the seasons change. There’s a tranquil beauty in nature running its course that can inspire even the most pessimistic of us to just marvel at how beautiful the world is. Then the heating bill comes in, and you wish summer had never ended. You’ll never be able to completely leave the heat off in winter, but with a little forethought, you can definitely help lower your bill using your furniture.

We discussed material above, and it ties in here as well. Depending on the environment you live in, choose items that will either encourage air flow or work to insulate your home. If you live in a humid environment with high temperatures, you’ll want furniture and materials that allow your room to breathe. Conversely, for colder climates, thick materials that insulate your house will work best.

There are plenty of options for furniture you can use to either cool or warm your house. You might consider a nice set of cotton curtains that can shield sunlight, while encouraging air flow; or a beautiful area rug to lay on your living room floor to help trap heat in cold temperatures.

Plenty of Cushioning

We’ve talked about allergens, scuffing, and insulation, but what about using decor as cushioning to help prevent injury? If you’ve got one or more little ones in the house, I’m sure you’ve spent a great deal of time surveying your home, and thinking about the multitude of ways they could hurt themselves. Good for you! That’s a tell tale sign of a great mom, but what have you done about it? I’m sure you’ve locked up your pantries and put your scissors well out of reach, but what else?

If you haven’t considered using furniture as a buffer for falls, scrapes, and cuts, you definitely should. For example, wherever your children sleep and play, you’ll need something to protect them while they tumble around. A rug would work very well, but you might also consider some bean bag chairs for extra cushioning. The important thing is that you think about where your home sees the most physical activity, and account for it as much as you can in your decor choices.

Heather, the mom behind OurKidsMom, is located in western Missouri. She is 3rd grade teacher turned stay at home mom with 4 children: Ethan (9), Emma (10), Joshua (20) and Kaytlin (25). She spends her "free time" at the gym, planning her next travel adventure, blogging, browsing Pinterest for her next craft and reviewing great products for her family and home.

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